Effortlessly Peel An Avocado With A Drinking Glass Hack

Chockful of benefits and a perfect accompaniment to tacos, salads, and even toast, you can never go wrong with having a few avocados hanging around your kitchen. The only real downside to this tasty and nutritious fruit is how hard it can be to cut and peel. If you're fearful of avocado-related injuries, all you need is a knife and a glass cup to remove the outer skin from avocados painlessly.

To get started peeling your avocado, take the knife and slice it into the side, stopping when you reach the pit in the center. Keep slicing around the perimeter of the avocado until you've cut it in half. After removing the pit, take one-half of the fruit and place the bottom of it against the lip of the glass. Use the lip to separate the avocado flesh from its peel, then repeat with the other half. This nifty trick works well when you don't have a peeler at home and don't want to risk the cuts and knicks that can accompany peeling an avocado with a sharp knife.

Even with the helpful glass hack, you might still experience some difficulty when peeling avocados. This may be due to the fruit's ripeness, as unripened avocados tend to have tougher skin. Accordingly, it helps to know the difference between ripe and unripe avocados when shopping at your local grocery store.

Consider the color of the outer skin of the fruit. A ripe avocado will have an intensely dark green shade, and sometimes, the skin will even appear black. As for texture, unripe avocados have smooth outer skin, while ripe fruits will have lots of little bumps. When it comes to firmness, ripe fruits give slightly when squeezed by hand. This is not the case with unripe avocados, which can feel quite rigid when squeezed. Don't fret if you inadvertently buy an unripe avocado, as there are a few quick and easy ways to speed up ripening.

In the event you don't use both halves of your ripe avocado at the same time, proper storage is crucial for keeping the remaining half in good shape. Cut avocados should be refrigerated, but they must be packed correctly to ensure minimal air exposure. You can also take steps to prevent oxidation, which is the chemical process that changes the pleasing green color of the flesh to brown.

Citric acid, including lemon and lime juice, impedes the process by decreasing pH levels and reducing the activity of a specific enzyme that plays a role in oxidation. You can also coat the cut avocado with olive oil to create a barrier against air exposure. Next, cover the avocado in plastic wrap, making sure you wrap it tightly around the cut half before placing it in the refrigerator. With these smart tips, you'll enjoy fresh, flavorful avocados anytime and with minimal hassle.